My thoughts:

In my research most of these sugars are empty calories. I don’t suggest you eliminate all sugars from your diet. But there are several that you can simply eliminate from your diet thereby simplifying your life.

Besides making deserts taste good, there are nutrient rich sugars that will benefit you. Here are my top picks compared with sugar. See Roni’s chart below. I agree with Roni’s top picks.

My top three picks are Maple Syrup, Molasses and Honey. They at least have nutritional elements in them. The only reason I’d consider Agave Syrup is that it tastes a lot sweeter and therefore you can use much less and it doesn’t have a unique flavour like the other three but the benefits are negligible. But, take note of the calorie count. If you can substitute a nice piece of fresh fruit for your sweet tooth, go for it. There are more benefits to fresh fruit than all of the benefits of sweeteners and syrups. The sweetener you use in your coffee or tea can be healthy but will depend on your taste buds.

Sugar/sweeteners can affect your moods and energy

It is well documented that your mood can give you cravings, but the reverse is also true. Your food can also affect your mood. How often have you already experienced a sugar high and crash? White refined sugar and artificial sugar substitutes are the worst offenders when it comes to the damaging affects on your brain. Here’s an exerpt from Dr. Mercola’s site:

Sugar consumption also triggers a cascade of chemical reactions in your body that promote chronic inflammation. In the long term, inflammation disrupts the normal functioning of your immune system and wreaks havoc on your brain.

Last but not least, sugar (particularly fructose) and grains contribute to insulin and leptin resistance and impaired signaling, which also play a significant role in your mental health.

One final word:

If you are not a diabetic now, you do not need to worry about becoming one when you eat healthy and exercise regularly. Eating for optimal health has never caused someone to become a diabetic. So don’t worry about glycemic levels.

If you are a diabetic, I hope you are doing this program in cooperation with your health professionals. Learn all you can about your condition and perhaps you can reduce your dependence on medications to a minimum.